Conventional beers are usually straw-colored or darker colored liquids. Although colorless, clear, malt-based beverages have been made in the past by the brewing industry, those products contained tartaric acid and had other attributes which rendered them less than optimally suitable for use as a flavored malt beverage base.
The Goldstein, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,795 discloses a process for the production of a stable, malt beverage which comprises subjecting a beer to reverse osmosis using a membrane having a molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) of about 200 to obtain a permeate, which consists of water, alcohol, and organics having a molecular weight of less than about 200. The permeate obtained does not possess an acceptable beer flavor but it is useful as a base to which citrus flavoring can be added to obtain a flavored malt beverage. However, this malt base is too difficult to obtain due to extremely low permeation rates. The disclosure of the above patent, and of all other patents recited herein, are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
A second Goldstein, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,196 discloses a method of preparing a straw-colored beer of low alcoholic content using a reverse osmosis membrane wherein a retentate is used having a molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) of less than about 100 for organics. This permeate is also unacceptable as a beverage base due to the extremely slow permeation rate and flat flavor profile.
There is a continued interest in new and different alcohol based beverages. This has encouraged the research and development of flavored malt beverage products. For example, the production of flavored malt beverages and other malt beverage products is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,803,546; 3,332,779; 3,798,331; 3,908,021; 4,021,580; and 5,294,450.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,803,546; 3,332,779; and 4,021,580 disclose beverages which are made from bases which are not beers and, therefore, have unacceptable flavor profiles as flavored beverages. U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,331 produces a base which is not neutral enough to produce an acceptable flavored beverage. U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,021 discloses a base made from green malt which results in too much beer character for an acceptable flavor profile in flavored malt beverages. U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,450 discloses a flavored malt beverage having a flavor profile typical of tartaric acid (a lingering, dry, sour effect).
However, a need remains for flavored malt beverages which achieve high levels of consumer "overall liking" and "drinkability" while avoiding user sensations of fullness after consuming moderate amounts of the flavored beverage. In general, the consumer acceptability of flavored malt beverages is influenced by individual ingredients and the interaction between the ingredients. For example, the creation of a flavored malt beverage with desired taste characteristics depends on a number of ingredients and factors. These ingredients and factors include but are not limited to acids, flavoring agents, carbonation level, alcohol level, sugar level, the relative proportion of alcohol and sugar levels, and the raw materials which are used (malt and fermentable carbohydrates).
A need also exists for a stable citrus flavored malt beverage. Flavored malt beverages typically have a substantial amount of sulfur containing amino acids and other labile components which in the presence of citrus flavoring cause off aromas. These off aromas have been described by taste panels as resembling "rotten fruit" and "wet dog." The off aromas are generally more obvious when the flavored malt beverage has been stored at elevated temperatures.